Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

There is a provision in EU law that a contract may be extended, so long as the value of the extension is not more than 50% of the value of the original contract. What the board has done is that each time it has extended the contract it has been for a period that is likely to result in a payment that is less than 50%. However, it is my view the extensions are beyond what is contemplated in the legislation and certainly beyond the spirit of it.